Nebraska Battles Past Purdue

West Lafayette, Ind. - The 17th-ranked Nebraska women's tennis team took part in a hard-fought match against the No. 34 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, emerging with a 5-2 victory. The Huskers (19-2, 5-1 Big Ten) fell behind early after uncharacteristically dropping the doubles point to the Boilermakers (11-4, 3-3 Big Ten), but fought back to capture five singles matches and clinch the victory.

Nebraska and Purdue began the day in doubles play, facing off on the outdoor courts of the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers picked up the first win, capturing a victory at the No. 2 position as Lynda Xepoleas and Daniela Vidal (PUR) downed Mary Weatherholt and Patricia Veresova (NU), 8-4.

Nebraska struck back at the No. 1 position, where 40th-ranked Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein (NU) toppled Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt (PUR), 8-5.

The doubles point came down to the No. 3 position, but Nebraska's pairing of Janine Weinreich and Izabella Zgierska (NU) was unable to hold on against Gisella Pere and Imogen Golder (PUR), falling by a score of 8-3.

The match marked only the second time this season Nebraska has lost a doubles point, with the first coming against No. 48 Long Beach State on March 20. Both matches resulted in victories for the Huskers, as NU downed Long Beach State 4-3 in that match.

The Boilermakers took a 1-0 lead on the match as the two teams headed into singles action. The Huskers would quickly tie things up thanks to a victory in No. 1 singles. No. 40 Weatherholt cruised past Purdue's Rabot by a score of 6-3, 6-2 to put the match at 1-1.

Nebraska then extended their lead to 2-1 as No. 109 Janine Weinreich topped the Boilermakers' Golder at the No. 5 position, 6-2, 6-4. Purdue pushed back, tying things up at 2-2 with Xepoleas' victory over Nebraska's 117th-ranked Veresova, 6-3, 6-2 in No. 2 singles.

The win would be Purdue's final victory of the day, however. Nebraska picked up victories in the final three singles matches, all three of which went to a third set.

Weinstein downed Vidal at the No. 4 singles position to give the Huskers a 3-2 lead, logging a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory. Nebraska's Geibert then clinched the match victory with a win in No. 3 singles over Purdue's Schmidt. After dropping the first set to Schmidt, Geibert batteld back to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.

The final match of the day to conclude as at the No. 6 position, where Maike Zeppernick (NU) earned a win over Purdue's Pere. Zeppernick also dropped the first set to her opponent before coming back to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-2 before the match ended by retirement to give Nebraska a 5-2 victory.

NU now has 19 total wins on the season, only three away from the current women's tennis program record (22, 2010). The Huskers will be in action again tomorrow in Bloomington as they face the 45th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers. The match is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT.

No. 17 Nebraska - 5
No. 34 Purdue - 2
Schwartz Tennis Center
West Lafayette, Ind.

Singles
1. No. 40 Mary Weatherholt (NU) def. Jennifer Rabot (PUR) 6-3, 6-2 
2. Lynda Xepoleas (PUR) def. No. 117 Patricia Veresova (NU), 6-3, 6-2 
3. Madeleine Geibert (NU) def. Mara Schmidt (PUR) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Stefanie Weinstein  (NU) def. Daniela Vidal (PUR) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
5. No. 109 Janine Weinreich (NU) def. Imogen Golder (PUR) 6-2, 6-4
6. Maike Zeppernick (NU) def. Gisella Pere (PUR) 3-6, 7-5, 3-2, retired

Order of finish 
(1, 5, 2, 4, 3, 6)

Doubles
1. No. 40 Madeleine Geibert/Stefanie Weinstein (NU) def. Jennifer Rabot/Mara Schmidt (PUR) 8-5
2. Lynda Xepoleas/Daniela Vidal (PUR) def. Patricia Veresova/Mary Weatherholt (NU) 8-4
3. Gisella Pere/Imogen Golder (PUR) def. Izabella Zgierska/Janine Weinreich (NU) 8-3 

Order of finish
(2, 1, 3)